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Presented by Instagram: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | |  | | By Garrett Ross | | | |  Former President Donald Trump is set to be arraigned in Manhattan this afternoon. | Bryan Anselm for POLITICO | Former President DONALD TRUMP is surrendering to New York City authorities this afternoon in Manhattan, where the highly anticipated arraignment has “created a spectacle,” our colleagues Erica Orden and Wesley Parnell report on the ground, “throwing the zone around the criminal courthouse into lockdown while throngs of reporters and curious onlookers competed to gain access to the proceedings.” The scene: “The street containing the primary entrance to the Manhattan district attorney’s office, where Trump is expected to turn himself in to be booked … had been closed off by police. Helicopters buzzed overhead and police roamed the surrounding streets, corralling passersby behind gates to prevent them from getting too close to the prosecutors’ office or to the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, which occupy the same building.”
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A crowd gathers outside the courthouse. | Wesley Parnell for POLITICO | The schedule: Trump is set to be arraigned at 2:15 p.m., but CNN’s Kara Scannell heard from Trump lawyer CHRIS KISE that “he expects Trump to speak to the cameras in the hallway outside of the Manhattan courtroom before and after.” Manhattan DA ALVIN BRAGG will hold a news conference at 3:30 p.m. Trump will travel back to Mar-a-Lago later in the afternoon, and is set to deliver remarks from his Florida compound shortly after 8 p.m. The Trump mood meter: The former president blasted out a handful of posts on Truth Social this morning, including two that sniped at some “RINO’S” Trump has taken issue with. “WHEN YOU SEE RINO’S KARL ROVE, BILL BARR, OR PAUL RYAN ON YOUR TELEVISION SCREEN, JUST TURN TO A DIFFERENT STATION, OR TURN OFF YOUR SET. YOU’RE BETTER OFF WATCHING THE DEMOCRATS!” The SPOTTED section: A host of political characters turned out for the circus this morning. Rep. GEORGE SANTOS (R-N.Y.) was seen walking around the scene. When reporters asked why he was there, the embattled Republican and serial fabulist replied: “Because I can be here.” (h/t Vice’s Elizabeth Landers)
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Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) outside the courthouse. | Stefan Jeremiah/AP Photo | Asked if “any president is above the law,” Santos quickly responded, “no,” before saying: “But is this DA going to start criminalizing criminals?” (A deft question, representative.)
|  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) speaking to a crowd outside the courthouse. | Stefan Jeremiah/AP Photo | Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) was on hand across the street to lead a pro-Trump rally. She also compared the former president to some pretty iconic figures. “Trump is joining some of the most incredible people in history being arrested today,” she told RSBN. “NELSON MANDELA was arrested, served time in prison. JESUS! Jesus was arrested and murdered.” (The Daily Beast’s Sam Brodey notes: “A subplot to this video: Greene is being interviewed by RSBN’s BRIAN GLENN... who she is dating, according to [Semafor’s] @kadiagoba.” Glenn kissed Greene on the cheek at the end of the interview.) Fun detail, via NYT’s Jason Silverstein: “Four sketch artists who will be capturing Donald Trump’s arraignment stood outside the courthouse early in the morning, carrying art supplies. … The artists agreed that the intense media presence was the most difficult part of their task. ‘EL CHAPO was better,’ said ANDREA SHEPARD, referring to the Mexican drug kingpin’s trial in Brooklyn years ago, which she covered. ‘It was much calmer there.’”
|  Journalists gather outside the courthouse. | Bryan Anselm for POLITICO | On standby: Hell Gate’s Max Rivlin-Nadler has a rollicking read from the line that the brave media folks had to wait in (or, for our loyal New York readers, the line they had to wait on) to secure entry into the courtroom for the historic proceeding. Here’s a choice excerpt from early this morning: “Dawn breaks on the line. The paid line sitters, like ADONIS PORCH, are relieved from their posts as well-coiffed corporate reporters take their places, backslapping one another. ‘I know you’d be the type of guy who’d be first here,’ they say, but that’s simply stolen valor. These reporters slept in warm beds last night, they didn’t know the journey of the night, the coldest before dawn, the depths of desperation as you search for meaning and whether you actually still care about covering this.” More from Hell Gate, which is documenting the whole experience What a time for a wedding! BuzzFeed’s David Mack tweets: “College sweethearts KHALIA BECKFORD & PETER DON are getting married at City Hall, right next to the media circus. She got her dress last night at Macy’s: ‘I did not plan for this,’ she says of the police & media. ‘It’s not going to ruin my big day.’” What the president is doing today: As Trump heads in for his arraignment, President JOE BIDEN will be meeting with his Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. More from AP’s Zeke Miller TRUMP’S OTHER LEGAL TROUBLE — “Trump asks appeals court for emergency order blocking testimony from top aides in DOJ’s Jan. 6 probe,” by CNN’s Sara Murray, Kaitlan Collins and Katelyn Polantz: “Trump’s team on Monday night asked for the appeals court to wipe away a lower court’s ruling that would force several of his top advisers to answer questions to a grand jury investigating Trump and his allies’ attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, despite his claims of legal protections around his presidency that would shield some of their testimony. “Overnight, a panel of three judges on the appeals court — PATRICIA MILLETT, ROBERT WILKINS and GREG KATSAS — sought a response from the Justice Department regarding Trump’s request. The Justice Department responded about two hours later. With the filings now submitted by both sides, the appeals court could decide at any moment.” Good Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: gross@politico.com.
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Explore 30+ tools. | | | POLITICO NEWS — Another round of hearty congratulations to our colleagues Josh Gerstein and Alex Ward, who this morning were awarded with the first-ever Katherine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability from the White House Correspondents’ Association for their groundbreaking reporting on the U.S. Supreme Court last year. The award, named in honor of the legendary Washington Post publisher, was established to recognize in-depth investigative and accountability reporting on a significant national issue by editors and journalists who do the courageous work of holding those in power accountable. Read the full announcement, with all of the award winners A NON-TRUMP READ FOR YOUR AFTERNOON — “Everybody in Washington wants the Ukrainian ambassador at their party,” by WaPo’s Ben Terris: “OKSANA MARKAROVA is hitting the town like her country depends on it.” A FLOTUS WALKBACK — First lady JILL BIDEN appears to be cleaning up her previous comment that indicated she wanted to invite both the NCAA champion LSU Tigers and runners-up Iowa Hawkeyes to the White House after attending the women’s championship game. “Her comments in Colorado were intended to applaud the historic game and all women athletes. She looks forward to celebrating the LSU Tigers on their championship win at the White House,” FLOTUS press secretary Vanessa Valdivia tweets.
| | | | GO INSIDE THE 2023 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is proud to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage, insider nuggets and unparalleled insights from the 2023 Global Conference, which will convene leaders in health, finance, politics, philanthropy and entertainment from April 30-May 3. This year’s theme, Advancing a Thriving World, will challenge and inspire attendees to lean into building an optimistic coalition capable of tackling the issues and inequities we collectively face. Don’t miss a thing — subscribe today for a front row seat. | | | | | ELECTION DAY IN AMERICA Bookmark these POLITICO live results pages for tonight:
LATEST FROM WISCONSIN — “2023 Wisconsin spring general election updates: Voters urged to head to polls early ahead of severe weather,” via the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel LATEST FROM CHICAGO — “Chicago Runoff Election 2023: Live results, voter reactions and news updates,” via the Chicago Sun Times MORE POLITICS THIS CHARMING MAN — “West Virginia Attorney General Morrisey announces GOP run for governor,” by Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and Kyle Morris: “The mystery surrounding which office West Virginia Attorney General PATRICK MORRISEY will seek in 2024 is over. Morrisey, a Republican who’s in his third term as the state's top prosecutor, on Tuesday will announce a run for governor at a campaign event in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, Fox News has learned. … Morrisey for months had been ‘seriously evaluating’ between a gubernatorial run in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. JIM JUSTICE, or a second bid for Senate. Morrisey narrowly lost the state’s 2018 Senate election to incumbent Sen. JOE MANCHIN, a former governor.”
| | | | A message from Instagram:   | | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD NATO’S NEWEST MEMBER — “Finland joins NATO in major blow to Russia over Ukraine war,” by AP’s Lorne Cook and Matthew Lee in Brussels: “The Nordic country’s membership doubles Russia’s border with the world’s biggest security alliance. Finland had adopted neutrality after its defeat by the Soviets in World War II, but its leaders signaled they wanted to join NATO just months after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine sent a shiver of fear through its neighbors. … The move is a strategic and political setback for Putin, who has long complained about NATO’s expansion toward Russia and partly used that as a justification for the invasion.” Statement from Biden: “When Putin launched his brutal war of aggression against the people of Ukraine, he thought he could divide Europe and NATO. He was wrong. Today, we are more united than ever. And together — strengthened by our newest ally, Finland — we will continue to preserve transatlantic security, defend every inch of NATO territory, and meet any and all challenges we face.” Related read: “Finland parliament website targeted ahead of NATO entry,” by AP’s Kostya Manenkov and Jari Tanner GERSHKOVICH LATEST — “Lawyers for Evan Gershkovich Seek to Visit Journalist Jailed in Moscow,” by WSJ’s Ann Simmons: “Russian authorities have told lawyers for [WSJ journalist EVAN] GERSHKOVICH that they are to be allowed to meet him on Tuesday afternoon at the Lefortovo prison in Moscow. Representatives from the U.S. Embassy haven’t been granted consular access to Mr. Gershkovich.” MORE AID ON THE WAY — “Officials: U.S. providing Ukraine $2.6 billion in military aid,” by AP’s Lolita Baldor and Matthew Lee: “The ammunition rounds, along with grenade launchers and vehicles, will be taken from military stockpiles so they can be in the war zone quickly, the officials said.” DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS — “China Strikes Back at U.S. Chip Maker Even as It Signals Openness,” by NYT’s Chang Che and John Liu: “The official mixed messages from China reflect the tightrope the country’s leaders are walking. They are trying to support an economy that is struggling after only recently reopening after three years of strict pandemic restrictions, while trying to present an unbending political image to an increasingly hostile Washington.” Related read: “China seethes as U.S. chip controls threaten tech ambitions,” by AP’s Joe McDonald FOR YOUR RADAR — “U.S. military says senior IS commander killed in Syria,” by AP’s Bassem Mroue in Beirut: “A drone strike carried out by the American-led coalition in northwestern Syria has killed a senior member of the Islamic State group who was in charge of planning attacks in Europe, the United States military said Tuesday. The man killed Monday in the strike was identified by a U.S. military statement as KHALID AYDD AHMAD AL-JABOURI. The military statement added that his death ‘will temporarily disrupt the organization’s ability to plot external attacks.’”
| | | | JOIN POLITICO ON 4/5 FOR THE 2023 RECAST POWER LIST: America’s demographics and power dynamics are changing — and POLITICO is recasting how it covers the intersection of race, identity, politics and policy. Join us for a conversation on the themes of the 2023 Recast Power List that will examine America’s decision-making tables, who gets to sit at them, and the challenges that still need to be addressed. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | THE ECONOMY BANK ON IT — “Signature Bank Insiders Sold $100 Million in Stock During Crypto Surge,” by WSJ’s Tom McGinty and Ben Foldy: “Sales over the past three years by the bank’s chairman, its former chief executive officer and his successor accounted for about half of the amount sold. … All three served on the board committee tasked with overseeing the bank’s risk profile over the past year.” Related read: “Jamie Dimon warns of new economic storms ahead,” by Sam Sutton PLAYBOOKERS MEDIA MOVE — Karen Friedman Agnifilo is joining CNN as an on-air legal analyst. She previously was chief assistant DA in the Manhattan DA’s Office under Cyrus Vance Jr. The announcement TRANSITIONS — Kristina Jeter is now director of advance and protocol for Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. She most recently was assistant chief of protocol for ceremonials at the State Department. … Aliya Manjee is now a director in Qorvis’ Washington, D.C., office. She previously was counsel for the House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee. … Steve Biegun will be SVP of global public policy at The Boeing Company. He most recently was an adviser at Macro Advisory Partners and previously was deputy Secretary of State. ENGAGED — Hawley Stanton, senior director of government affairs at USTelecom and a Bob Latta alum, and Ryan Dilworth, legislative director for Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) and a Bob Gibbs alum, got engaged Sunday at Stanton Park after five years together. They met at Cap Lounge. Pic … Another pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Rachel Portman, policy adviser at DLA Piper and a Senate HELP Committee alum, and Stuart Portman, senior health policy adviser for the Senate Finance Committee, recently welcomed Charlotte Nora Portman. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine.
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